A few huge, understated plays....

I'd add the Caselton tip away from the basket on the missed shot by Lidell. The ball doesn't get to Jones without out being tipped in his direction by Castleton. The tip is what started the 30-foot winning shot sequence for Appleby.

I'd also add the screen Caselton put on Lidell which freed Duruji up for the lob pass from Appleby.

Caselton didn't get any stats for either play, but UF doesn't successfully execute those plays without Caselton. The impact Caselton had on the game conclusion is understated, but should not be overlooked.

Changing the subject, Caselton looked tired at the end of the 1st half when the delayed commercial timeout came so late. In looking at the stats, Jitoboh only played 1 minute in the game. I'd like to see Jitoboh strategically playing 2 to 3 minutes in each half to help keep Caselton fresh. If UF goes smaller, that's fine, but tOSU had those 4 big men playing that Jitoboh was capable of helping with. I know the announcers keep saying he is 305, but he looks more like 290 to me, definitely not the tub of lard he was last season.

 

They'll get better with playing time together. We should learn how to at least maintain with CC on the bench for rest. Maybe even excel. Excited to see how we grow.

 

This has been an apparent strength of CMW teams. Castleton, an obvious target for opponents, has not been in foul trouble. Our guards rarely get in foul trouble. White's teams have consistently been good at defending w/o fouling.

 

2) Duriji’s defense on the final OSU possession was outstanding.... contested without fouling.

THIS!!!!!!

 

The put back slam by Felder to end the half on the missed three by McKissick, I believe, was a huge basket...a big time hustle basket.

 

JJ and Payne before him did not get that memo.

 

Felder Fleming Duruji
Triple threat

 

I couldn't hear a word while I watched the game at a sports bar. What was the technical foul on OSU for?

 

Bench warning.

 

They certainly found a way. It had the feeling of slipping away for a 15 point loss. It’s great that they seem to be cohesive this early without a lot of time together.

 

Don't remember the call but the OSU coach was complaining about a call and had already been warned. Also got a tech the night before I believe so may be a little hot headed.

 

I agree about Jitoboh. I think the problem is that CC's offensive production can't be replaced easily and so Mike goes small.

I want to see him get at least 4 quality fouls. I guess we have to wait for him to get in shape enough to get to that many minutes.

 

Looking at that play again, Felder was behind the 3 point line when the 3 point shot went up and he tracked it all the way to the front of the rim for the put back slam. Incredible. We are going to win a lot of games due to that kind of effort.

 

Jitoboh will not play much more if Felder continues to play like he has the past couple games.You can go small for short stretches yet still have a strong, quality ball player on the court. Jitoboh looks like he is in better shape this year but to be brutally honest, the kid is just not a good basketball player and below average athlete. He’s a plodder who can’t run and can’t jump. Has almost no offensive game but may occasionally grab a couple rebounds. Now, at the opposite side of the weight spectrum, I’m very intrigued by Gatkek. The kid has a motor, runs like a deer, and is a big time leaper. If the kid can put on 20 to 30 pounds of muscle he will help us way more than Jitoboh will. Unfortunately it won’t be this season, but may take a season or two to put on the weight.

 

Not to focus on the negative but this team needs to improve their percentage from the free throw line or it is gonna cost them some games. Castleton really needs to improve because he’s gonna be getting lots of free throws this season.

 

Agreed to all of this

 

"Not to focus on the negative" made me laugh out loud. Glad to see it actually.

 

Big JJ has to play more. His size and physicality definitely would have helped with OSU’s big physical guys, especially #23. Him fouling sometimes isn’t bad as not giving up easy 4-5 foot half hooks and making them earn it from the stripe is what we need. His size and physicality make him very difficult to push around in the post.

 

I am horrible at posting links. If you watch the highlights from the Ohio State game that were posted by Gator Basketball on Twitter and Facebook over 10 of the highlights shown were from the defensive end which included battles for rebounds and loose balls. In the first minute of he highlights and the first 6 minutes of the game there is a loose ball battle won by the Gators on the offensive end of the court and a tie up on the defensive end of the court. Granted we don’t know how things would have played out had neither of these plays happen but in a buzzer beater win you can argue that these plays were also huge plays and without them there would be no buzzer beater. There were so many plays similar to these in the course of this game. The thing I really love about this team early on is they play with an intensity that seems to be based on he fact that that they 100 % believe that a loose ball battle six minutes into the game is just as important as the one that happened on the last rebound.